Spring Forward at Your Own Risk

Study finds increase in heart attacks after start of daylight-saving time

Daylight-saving time could be bad for your heart, according to a study by doctors in Sweden.

They looked at the number of heart attacks during the days immediately following the clock change and compared them to the period two weeks before and two weeks after. The rate of heart attacks also increased after clocks fell back an hour, but only for one day.

Doctors, including Dr. Charles Bae of Cleveland Clinic, related it to altering sleep patterns and sleep deprivation.

"If you burn the candle at both ends, then there is a price to pay in long-term health," Bae said.

That's not the only danger you could face this weekend, though. A 1995 study found that car accidents also increase in the days following the clock change, with tired drivers making roads dangerous.

In this day and age, it's practically impossible to avoid losing the hour, as cell phones and computers reset themselves. So do yourself and your neighbors a favor and sleep in Sunday morning.

Or move to Hawaii or Arizona, where daylight-saving time isn't observed. Maybe they're ahead of the curve when it comes to self-preservation.

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